'Incredible' Sturridge can be the best, says Rodgers

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has lauded Daniel Sturridge after the striker netted a hat-trick in Sunday's 3-1 win over Fulham.

The former Chelsea forward moved on to 11 goals in 15 appearances since joining the Merseyside club in January as he helped sweep Martin Jol's men aside at Craven Cottage.

And Rodgers believes the 23-year-old can continue to get better in the coming years.

"It was an incredible sequence of finishing from Daniel and he could have had a couple more," Rodgers said.

"He's scored goals from the minute he came in. That's 11 goals in 15 games, which is fantastic and the impact we thought he'd make.

"He can get goals in any game, he's a wonderful talent. He's 23 and I just felt he needed the platform to show what he can do.

"He's demonstrated his pace and his power here.

"I think he'll prove, hopefully if he stays fit and plays games, to be one of the top strikers in the Premier League in the next few years."

The visitors changed formation at half-time against Fulham, with Jose Enrique replacing young defender Andre Wisdom. Rodgers said of the tactical switch: "We took today to experiment in the first half. We played 3-5-2 and at times it worked okay, other times it didn't.

"That's the learning for us from this game, but we planned to flip it at half-time into a structure they were comfortable with.

"We got three goals and could have got another three or four. In the second half we were outstanding. Some of our play was very, very good.

"We keep progressing. This year was always about building the base for us to move forward, and as we've gone on through the season we've got better and better.

"We can score goals - we can go to any ground and win a football match."